Closure with hemispherical liner



Sept. 15, 1942. E. E. Haas CLOSURE WITHHEMISPHERIGAL LINER Filed June 3, 1939 "w o 2 l a I II/ IIIIV/ v INVENTOR Emerson E Hogg Patented Sept. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOSURE WITH HEMISPHEBICAL LINER Emerson E. Hogg, New Kensington, Pa assignor to Alumln um Company of America, Pittsburgh,

vania Pa., a corporation of Fennsyl Application June 3, 1939, Serial so. 277,191

2 Claims. (01. 215-42) My invention relates to closures for bottles and the like, and more particularly, to improvements in the sealing of small bottles and vials containing able solution package comprising a small vial.

and easily removable closure, it is necessary to autoclave or otherwise subject the filled and sealed, packages to high temperatures with the result that considerable pressure is placed upon, the closure. The provision of a closure able to withstand such treatment is made difficult by the fact that the vial necks are so small that a relatively strong sheet metal cap of usualv gauge cannot readily be used because of the difliculties of removal. I

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide an improved closure for small necked vials and the like in which the liner or sealing member is of such material and form that it will adequately seal against the available sealing surface of the vial mouth and yet withstand considerable pressure without rupture or undesirable deformation. Another object is to provide a closure in which the pressure against the entire top of the sealing member renders the seal more eflective. Still another object of my invention is to provide a closure suitable for the aforementioned purpose comprising such a sealing member and a readily removable cap of frangible material.

In the accompanying drawing: Fig. 1 is an elevational view, on a greatly enlarged scale, of a vial or similar container having my improved closure applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line II-II of Fig. i;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the parts in a preliminary stage of assembly; 1

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the neck portion of the bottle .of Figs. 1 and 3; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modified sealing arrangement.

The small bottle or vial, shown in Fig. 1, may

be of any suitable general shape and the numeral 6 indicates the body portion thereof. .The bottle is provided with a neck 1 having an opening 6 extending therethrough which at the upper end of the neck terminates in a chamfered or outwardly flaring seat portion 9. The upper end of the neck I is enlarged as indicated at I to form an annular. shoulder ii. The enlarged scale used for illustrative purposeswill be appreciated when it is understood that a common maximum neck invention is approxi-- diameter used with this mately 11 mm. Y

A sealing member or liner 82 preferably of rubber, or other suitable compressible'materialis provided to cooperate with the flared mouth portion 9 to sealthe bottle. The member I! is pro-' vided with acentral thickened body portion it of hemispherical form and is further provided at its upper side with a flat rim portion IS. The radius of the hemispherical portion of the sealing member relative to the diameter of the flar'ed portion 9 is such that the sealing member will seat upon the flared portion 9, with its lower end projecting slightly into the opening 8 and with its rim portion i3 vertically spaced with respect to the top surface of the neck I, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus it will be seen, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, that when pressure is applied to the top of the sealing member to force it downwardly onto the seat 9, the body portion It thereof will be sufliciently compressed to fill completely the flared mouth and will be forced snugly into'sealing engagement with the entire beveled surface thereof, and its lowermost portion forced slightly into the opening 8 through the neck of the bottle.

In order to secure the sealing member in this position, I provide a retaining member or cap I4, whose portion extends downwardly to a point below the shoulder ii and is forced inwardly into intimate contact with the underside of said shoulder by any suitable cap applying operation. The cap member I4 is provided with at least one tab i5, and preferably a pair of such tabs, by means of which the cap may readily be torn off the sealing member and vial neck. While I have herein shown the cap as being made from thin metal foil, such as aluminum foil, it will be understood that caps of other suitable frangible material may be employed to retain the sealing member in sealing position.

When the sealing member is forced into engagement with the seat 9, suflicient top pressure is employed to so compress the sealing member that its rim portion II also will engage the top of the bottle and thereby increase the area over which the seal is created. Furthermore, if a ing the opening 8 will have intimate contact with the inner wall of the neck, thereby rendering the seal more effective.

Referring now to Fig. 5, the neck portion IS, the sealing member l9, and the cap 20 correspond to the similar elements of Fig. 2. However, in

this form, the opening 2| through the neck l8 terminates in an outwardly flaring mouth 22, whose. surfaces are formed along curved lines of relatively large radius, instead of being flattened as in Fig. 2. The wall thickness of the neck is much greater than that usually employed so that there will be provided a flat annular land 23 between the upper edge of the flared mouth and the periphery of the beaded rim 24 of the bottle. The sealing member I9 will be pressed into sealing engagement with the entire surface of the mouth 22 and the land 23, thereby effectively sealing the bottle, the cap 20 cooperating with the bead 24 to retain the member IS in sealing position.

One of the particular advantages of utilizing a sealing member of hemispherical form in con-' junction with the flared mouth resides in the fact that the sealing forces are exerted in generally radial directions so'that while the sealing action is somewhat cork-like in effect, nevertheless the wardly flaring mouth provided with a flat annular seat surface, and an exterior shoulder near said mouth, of afrangible metal retaining member cooperating with said shoulder, and a compressible sealing member including a hemispherical central portion in seated engagement upon said annular surface and secured in compressed condition in sealing engagement with the entire flared surface of said month by said retaining member, the said sealing member havingan annular rim portion in sealing engagement with the top of the vial and adapted to beptipped upwardly to break the seal between said hemispherical portion and said flared mouth.

2. The combination with an ampule having a neck provided with aneck opening and an exterior shoulder, the top of said neck being formed with a recessed mouth surrounding said opening and with a flat annular rim surface intermediate said mouth and the exterior periphery of said neck, of a compressible sealing member consisting of a flat rim portion for cooperating with said rim surface and a protuberant central body portion for seating upon said mouth, the thickness of said body portion opposite said mouth being sufficient to dispose said rim portion normally in spaced relation to said rim surface when said body portion is initially placed in contact with said mouth, said sealing member being compressed vertically into sealing position with said body portion and said rim portion thereof in continuous sealing engagement with said mouth and said rim surface, and a frangible retaining cap cooperating with said shoulder for securing said sealing member in said sealing position, said rim portion being substantially relieved of sealing pressure and assuming its normal position by expansion of said body portion when said cap is removed, whereby to facilitate grasping'thereof for manual lifting movement to break the seal between said body portion and said mouth.

EMERSON E. HOGG. 

